ORLANDO — High-density lipoproteins, which are known protectors against arterial atherothrombosis, also appear to protect against recurrent venous thrombosis, Dr. Sabine Eichinger reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.
In a prospective study of 772 patients with a first episode of spontaneous venous thromboembolism, the relationship between plasma lipoprotein parameters and recurrence of venous thrombosis was evaluated. Of the 772 patients, 100 (13%) had recurrent VTE during an average follow-up of 4 years.
Compared with patients without recurrence, those with recurrence had significantly lower mean plasma levels of apolipoprotein A-I, a major component of HDL (1.12 vs. 1.23 mg/mL), said Dr. Eichinger of the Medical University of Vienna.
The relative risk of recurrence in this study population was 0.87 for each increase of 0.1 mg/mL in plasma apolipoprotein A-I; for those with apolipoprotein A-I levels above the 67th percentile, compared with those with lower levels, relative risk of recurrence was 0.51.
Further, HDL cholesterol levels and HDL particle concentrations were lower in patients with recurrence, she noted.
Although it was thought that HDL is protective against recurrent venous thrombosis as a result of its multiple antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory actions, this had not been previously shown, she explained.
Measurement of HDL parameters may be useful for predicting venous thrombosis recurrence risk, and drugs that increase HDL might be useful for reducing venous thrombotic events, she concluded.